Charlotte Gainsbourg Finds Starring Role In Political Satire ‘Jacky’

Antichrist has ensured that I will never, ever be able to look at Charlotte Gainsbourg without having a flurry horrible images invade my brain — Christ knows von Trier‘s The Nymphomaniac isn’t going to assuage that problem — and as long as she continues to act, this is something I’ll just have to live with. It should be said, then, that one of the next films bound to get the mental scissors snipping is Jacky in Women’s Kingdom, a high-concept, satirical comedy from writer-director Riad Sattouf (French Kisses). [Variety]

Vincent Lacoste is reuniting with his Kisses helmer on Jacky, which takes place in a female-led dictatorship that makes men wear veils; the plot centers on Jacky, who finds himself smitten with “an attractive colonel, played by Gainsbourg, and dreams of marrying her, even though she’s completely out of his league.” Producer Anne-Dominique Toussaint, of Les Films Des Tournelles, addressed Jacky as “a true comedy that nevertheless addresses contemporary social issues and real problems,” while also maintaining a “spectacular” physical aesthetic.

This almost, in some way, sounds like a reverse version of The Dictator — I’m obviously hoping the fruits of this labor are a bit sweeter — but it’s enough that Baron Cohen‘s latest film is a lazy shrug that doesn’t take a lot of effort to improve on; optimism’s easy to come by when a good onscreen duo and well-received director are playing around with a fun idea. Noemie Lvovsky and Didier Bourdon are also starring in the film, and production will begin in September.

Is the set-up of Jacky getting your attention? How does this assemblage of talent come across to you?